Rejection, Once, Twice
by Pookie-punki
Summary: School AU. The school dance is right around the corner, and Sakura builds the courage to ask Sasuke to the dance. He rejects her, and later she resolves to agree to go with Naruto. hinted naruhina. One-sided sasusaku, narusaku. No happy ending.


Sakura watched as the wind slightly blew through the leaves of the trees. She knew next week was the school dance, and no one had asked her.

Well, that was a lie. Many asked, but none were who she wanted. Naruto was the first, followed by Lee and some other guy she didn't even know at all. It was surprising to think that that many boys liked her.

She sighed. If only among them, there would be the one she truly desired.

"Sasuke Uchiha." She muttered to the wind.

As if the powers of fate were working in her favor, she spotted Sasuke just as he was leaving the school building. Being a girl magnet, he tried to stay as late as possible to avoid the large groups of them.

Sakura smiled to herself, making her way over.

_I'll definitely do it, right now! _She thought.

"Sasuke-kun!" she called out.

Sasuke didn't give her much of a reaction, but to show he was listening, he blinked, and stopped walking.

"Um, Sasuke-kun, I was wondering if you would, well," she paused.

"What do you need help with?" he said after she took a second to blush and look down.

"N-no... That's not what I mean. I was just, you know. Wondering if you would like to-"

"Are you speaking a foreign language? I can't understand your mumblings." He replied.

_Ah, he's too cool sometimes. That was a really good comeback. No wonder I like him. _Sakura sighed, collecting herself before continuing on.

"Will you go to the dance as my boyfriend?" She finished without another breath.

Sasuke didn't say anything. All he did was look away, to the same trees Sakura had been staring at not two minutes before. He blinked once, then twice, and three times before turning back to Sakura. The look on his face told her what he was going to say.

"Please, I only ask for you to like me. Nothing more, just give me a chance." Sakura felt like crying. She looked at the ground, angry with herself.

Again, Sasuke said nothing to this display. He saw nothing more to do with the situation, and began to walk past her. He was stopped by Sakura's hand on his shoulder.

"Wait!" He heard a slight sob as she composed herself. "I'm sorry. I know you must get this a lot. But I genuinely like you, really."

"You don't like me." he said, simply.

There was a pause as Sakura took her hand away from his shoulder.

"Excuse me?" she said after going over what he said a few times in her mind.

"You don't like _me_. You like my grades. You like my face. You like my popularity." His voice did not falter as he told her the things he knew many girls liked about him.

"That isn't true." She replied. She was appalled that he thought she would be so conceited about her choice of affections. Sure, all those things he listed were great things, but there were many more things to it.

"Yes, it is. You're all the same. I'm going home now." Sasuke once again began to walk.

"Those aren't the reasons I like you. I like you because you are confident. You're great at everything, and that's because you know you can do everything if you try. No matter how many obstacles there are, you can always pull through. That's why I admire you." She said, slowly walking next to him. It didn't seem like he was listening, but she knew he would be.

"I don't know about that, but if that's what you think I don't really care. Even though you say that, you still don't like me. You only admire me." he said, not looking at her at all as he said it.

_Isn't it the same thing? _She thought, as her brow furrowed.

"I don't understand what you mean."

Sasuke stopped walking and sighed, obviously irritated by now. Sakura knew it was because of her, but she was too confused to care at this point.

_Oh, the mysterious boys. Why is it that they're so alluring?_

"I would go with you. But do you know anything about me? Do you know what I like to do in my free time?"

"Well you obviously study, having such high grades! You also like to stare off into space; you must have quite an imagination! Since I know these things, you'll go with me, right?" Sakura didn't really know what she was saying by now. She didn't really know where or why the _imagination _bit came in, but she was literally saying anything in order for him to go out with her.

"You're really not that clever, you know that? You haven't answered any of my questions." This time, Sasuke took the effort to frown at her, the first change in facial expression toward her in the conversation.

"What? Yes I have! I don't understand what you want me to say-"

"You know nothing about me. You don't like me. You just like my reputation."

With that, he walked away slightly faster than usual.

"I would know these things if only you would give me a chance!" she shouted after him, her ever growing rage leaking out into her words. He kept walking.

_How could he be so insensitive?_

She sobbed, this time losing control. She ran home, in the opposite direction of Sasuke's.

When she arrived home, the house was empty, which was unusual. Tears were still streaking down her pink cheeks as she searched for a note from her mother.

She found the note on the kitchen table.

** Sakura,**

** I'm at the store. I should be back around 5:30.**

** -Mom**

Glad she could be alone for another hour, she went upstairs. The tears had stopped in that moment of searching for a note, but now they were back, and more unforgiving to her eyes than ever.

She slammed her door and flopped down onto her bed.

"Why can't you just love me?" she shouted into her pillow.

"I love you more than you could ever know! Can't you just love me back? Can't you?" She then began to punch her pillow.

Her sobbing, screaming and punching went on for about ten minutes. She began to calm down, mostly from exhaustion. Running home, crying, screaming, and punching aren't exactly kind to the body or it's strength.

"I'm pathetic." She muttered, before falling asleep to the sound of her own hitched breathing.

When she awoke, it was 6:45. She got out of her bed, still in her school uniform because she hadn't taken it off before going into her tantrum, and decided she would take a shower.

The hot water felt good on her skin. No matter how much it hurt her, or scalded her skin, it was a comforting feeling.

She reluctantly got out after washing herself, and looked in the mirror. Her eyes were still puffy, her nose still red, she probably cried in her sleep. Her expression didn't change as she combed her long pink hair.

She slowly walked downstairs, now in more comfortable clothing than her school skirt and dress shirt. She wore a soft lavender tee, magenta sweatpants, and orange polka-dotted socks. It didn't matter if it didn't match. She was home.

Her mother looked up from the stove when she heard the padding of Sakura's socks on the kitchen floor.

"What are you making?" Sakura asked her mother as she sat down at the table.

"Chicken soup. You didn't look too well when I went to check on you." She said, turning back to watch the food cook.

_At least someone cares._ Sakura thought as she picked at her nails.

"Thanks." She honestly wasn't that hungry, but she figured she would eat the soup anyway. It smelled good, and food was usually very comforting.

"Mother, were you ever rejected?"

Sakura's mother stopped stirring the food.

"Well that explains the red nose and puffy eyes." She said.

"Could you just answer my question?" Sakura's voice didn't sound very strong, which was unlike her.

"Yes Honey, I've been rejected. It happens to everyone." There was a silence as Sakura's mother went back to stirring.

"That doesn't mean it's any less hard to get through." Sakura said, tears threatening to come back.

"No, of course it doesn't. Hun, do you want to talk about it? I'm just about done here."

"Not really." Sakura sighed. She got up from her spot and retrieved a bowl and spoon for herself from the cupboard. She stood next to her mother and watched as the soup spun around in slow circles, carrying the ladle with it.

The soup was done in about a minute. It could have been five minutes, though, really. Sakura wasn't paying much attention to time, and kept losing herself in it. She ate her food without another word, her mother looking at her in worry as they sat at the table. She set her bowl next to the sink, and went back to her room.

_A little mind numbing TV might help. _She thought as she toddled up the stairs, lacking the coordination she usually had.

She sat on her bed and turned on the TV, selecting one of her favorite channels. A new cartoon was on, so she decided to lie against a large pillow and watch. It didn't take very long before she fell asleep to it.

She woke up for the second time that evening, and found herself watching something she didn't remember switching to. She looked at her clock and saw it was 9:20.

"How inconvenient." She said. She turned the volume on her TV down and decided to write in her diary. She ranted about how thoughtless men could be, and how she never should have fallen in love in the first place. After writing a page and a half, she was startled to hear her phone buzzing on her desk. She put her pen down and saw she had 3 texts from Ino. She read the most recent one.

** Ino: Hey! Are you alive?**

Annoyed, Sakura replied.

**Sakura: Uh, yeah? Why wouldn't I be?**

** Ino: Well I've sent you two texts today and haven't gotten a reply until now!**

Sakura sighed. They must have been sent when she was asleep. She quickly checked them and all they said were 'hi' and 'are you there'.

**Sakura: Sorry. I was busy.**

** Ino: Whatever. How did it go with Sasuke?**

** Sakura: How did you know I talked to Sasuke?**

** Ino: I saw you from the science room.**

_She was watching us? That nosy little- ugh._

**Sakura: Why were you in the science room at 4:30?**

** Ino: I was talking to Mr. Sarutobi about the lab we're doing. But don't change the subject! How did it go?**

** Sakura: Not good.**

** Ino: He rejected you?**

** Sakura: Yeah. Gotta go. Bye.**

** Ino: OK. Bye.**

Sakura really didn't want to talk about it to anyone. Though talking always seemed to help, she couldn't be bothered this time. She turned off her phone and went back to bed.

The next day, which was Friday, Sakura went back to school without her usual bounce in her step. There wasn't exactly anything to look forward to; she knew she would be bugged by Naruto, stalked by Lee, interrogated by Ino, and depressed from seeing Sasuke. She really didn't see the point in going to school that day.

Unlike what she expected, though, Naruto wasn't exactly bugging her. He was being a bit annoying, like always, but it was more comforting than all the other times he would bug her. With Lee it was the same. Ino respected her wishes for once and didn't ask her about her conversation with Sasuke.

The only thing that still got her was Sasuke. It wasn't as much pain as it was the day before, though. Every time she glanced at Sasuke, she became angry. Sure, she still loved him, but she as angry with his attitude toward her.

Sasuke hadn't changed at all. His mood was the same as always.

"He really must not have any feelings!" Naruto started a new conversation with Sakura, having seen that she was staring at Sasuke the entire time he was ranting about ramen.

"What?" Sakura was startled at his blunt statement.

"Well, I heard about him rejecting you, Sakura. He really must have no feelings at all if he can keep going through every day with such a dull expression!" Naruto half-shouted as he was oblivious to Sakura's slight glare at Ino.

"You told him?" Sakura accused, to which she only earned an awkward shrug from the blonde girl.

"If it were me, I would never be so cold." Naruto muttered, still going on about Sasuke.

It was then that it dawned on Sakura that she did to Naruto exactly what Sasuke had done to her. She rejected Naruto without even giving him a chance. She tried to convince herself that it wasn't the same, that she actually _loved _Sasuke and it was so much _harder _on her, but in reality she knew she was just as cruel to Naruto as Sasuke was to her.

She sighed, not really wanting to go through with this new idea of hers. By the end of the day, she came to the decision to give Naruto a chance.

_Maybe just this once won't be so bad…_ She thought as she walked slowly up to Naruto.

"Hey Naruto," she said, with half as much enthusiasm as she normally would have had if she was about to ask this of Sasuke.

"Yes, Sakura-chan?" Naruto beamed at her.

"Well, I was thinking. About the dance, that is. I was thinking about your offer a lot today, and I accept." Sakura said, without much emotion.

"Huh?" Naruto replied, as dumb as usual.

"The dance." She said, "I will go with you to the dance."

There was a really long pause before Naruto realized she was expecting a reply.

"Oh. Um. Well, this is awkward, Sakura-chan, I-I would have said okay if you said this yesterday, uh…" Naruto rambled on awkwardly.

"What do you mean you _would have_ said yes?" Sakura asked, now thoroughly confused. Didn't Naruto _want _to go with her?

"Well, after school yesterday this girl with dark hair asked me to go with her to the dance. I didn't think I would have another chance with you, so I told her yes. I'm sorry Sakura-chan, I really am." Naruto said, as he rubbed the back of her head.

Sakura stood there dumbfounded.

_Now I look like a fool! How dare he say yes to that girl!  
><em>"Whatever." She spat at him bitterly.

"Sakura-chan, really, if I knew you were gonna agree later, I would never have said yes to her!" Naruto called out after Sakura as she began to walk home.

Sakura didn't reply as she continued on.

_That's what I get for trying._

She wasn't home before it began to rain.

_This weather sure fits my mood._

She resolved once again to rant in her diary. She didn't do much else the rest of the weekend. She didn't even reply to Ino's texts.


End file.
